International Women's Day - what is this?

Indian women shout anti-government slogans during a rally on International World Women's Day in Allahabad on March 8, 2013. The demonstrators were demanding passage of a bill which would reserve one-third of parliamentary seats for women. Source: AFP/Snajay Kanojia

Today's Google search screen has a doodle for it and our Facebook and Twitter feeds are filled with references to it - International Women's Day. What is this day and is anyone in Chicago celebrating?

The day is more than 100 years old and commemorates two events - the March 8, 1857 protest by New York City garment workers agains their working conditions. Fifty one years later, on March 8, 1908, New York streets were again filled with protestors, this time 15,000 women fighting for the right to vote and increased pay, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

The United Nations theme for 2013 International Women's Day 2013 is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women."

There are protests around the globe today, but Chicago should be fairly quiet. There is a lunch at the Union League Club commemorating the day, and a YWCA-sponsored event scheduled for Monday, March 18.